All posts tagged: Elections

This is part II in a series of opinion pieces on the Lao America response to post-elections 2016. Read part I here. Wherever one may be on the political spectrum, there’s no hiding that we’re all still processing post-election outcomes and what it will mean for the thousands of diaspora from Laos. Here are some reactions and perspectives from community builders, artists, business owners and others from Lao America. “Earlier this year brought so much optimism, especially with President Obama’s historic visit to Laos. It spotlighted the country and brought attention to the Lao American community and our contributions – from refugees to citizens. The recent election is disheartening in that the America that received the millions of refugees from Southeast Asia – that helped us to rebuild our lives after war – is turning its back on so many of today’s immigrants and refugees. This country’s strength is rooted in its diversity, including the countless contributions of immigrants. But we must also remember that beyond elections – democracy, hope, love, kindness and transformation can …

This is a series of opinion pieces on the Lao America response to post-elections 2016. For Lao Americans, the results of this year’s presidential election in many ways didn’t come as a surprise. After all, since our diaspora began over four decades ago, we’ve seen that any number of unusual candidates can rise into public office, such as actors Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, or Jesse Ventura. A good study of civics obliges us to place faith in the electoral college system, designed to ensure small states have an equal vote as much as larger states to preserve the republic. This year the statistics show that a little over 46% of eligible voters did not do so, but Minnesota, at least, came out in higher voter turnout than the national average. We know that our local fellow Southeast Asian and API communities organized to get out the vote and to encourage our fellow Lao to be civically-engaged. For the next four years or so, the Republican party will now be in charge of all …